boys

Calvin has been learning some essentials from his dad this week:

how to turn the laundry basket into a rocket ship for two (he also saw how to fix it with duct tape after dad crashed the rocket)
the art of fishing...we're still working on the catching part - no fish yet!

Calvin also helped his dad install his NEW forward-facing car seat. I think it makes him look so much older! He loves the arm rests, cup holder, and much more leg room. However, I think he likes the big box that it came in the most.
I cut a hole in the side for a window and then kept wondering why I spend money on toys.
Calvin has spent a lot of time in his box this week. He refused to come out yesterday morning for family prayer, but he did fold his arms reverently (which he only does about half the time anyway) so I guess we'll keep the box.
And of course his dad had to show him a thing or two about playing in boxes.

Here's a video of Calvin in action. I've been trying for awhile to get him to talk on camera, so I was thrilled to get a couple of words out of him (listen close for "box" and "baby"). Also, I'm soliciting opinions about Calvin's hair. I really like it long, but I noticed how shaggy it's looking in the pics from this week. Should we cut it again? (I'll try to figure out how to do one of those polls.)

update

April has flown by with far less sunshine and warm weather than I would have liked. It snowed last week and is now back in the 50's again! Nonetheless, we've been able to visit the park a few times and found that Calvin loves the playground and swings...

and Russell still loves the zipline.
Here's a cute tub shot that Calvin conveniently censored...his hair is getting so long again!
I wish this was more of an "update," but we're still anxiously waiting to find out if/when/where we'll be moving this summer. We'll keep everyone posted!

Easter & Arizona

we decided to do baskets and egg stuff on easter saturday in hopes that sunday can be a day to remember the Savior's resurrection. we had a delicious dinner and a nice visit with family in herriman on sunday, but of course i forgot the camera. here's some shots from saturday...

calvin graciously looked up from his treats for a cute smile

his "surprised" look

dyeing eggs (russell and me) and eating goldfish (calvin)

we had an egg hunt in the backyard, which is mostly pavement, so i ran out of good hiding spots pretty quick. russell did most of the hunting and picking up because calvin just wanted to run around. note to self: next year, half a dozen eggs should do (not forty something!)

me and my handsome boy in his easter clothes

we left early monday morning to make the 14 hour drive to mesa, arizona. russell had an interview at a medical school there, which is conveniently located 5 minutes from his sister katy's house. the interview went well (he's on the alternate list for admission!) and it was great to visit with katy, dan and the kiddos.

russell and koby enjoying the nintendo wii

it was 85 degrees in phoenix while we were there and calvin loved playing outside with cousins. he had some eager helpers for his first slide experience (milo didn't want to look at the camera and delaney was the opposite!).

we discovered that calvin shares his dad's love for four-wheelers. he figured out that the foot pedal makes it move and the switch in the front is for forward and backward, but he didn't quite master the holding-on part.

russell thought he'd show calvin how it was done (or at least that was his excuse), but it went a lot slower...

delaney and calvin on a wagon ride. note how beautiful and green the grass is - it was a nice taste of spring that i miss (especially because it snowed here today)!
dan brought out the huge bubble machine and the kids loved it. tuesday was magavin's 7th birthday and russell is playing with one of gavin's cool new transformer toys.

koby with magavin during present time.

thanks to katy and dan for giving us a place to stay at such short notice and for a great time! we drove back wednesday. after changing several yuck diapers (calvin was good, but sick on the way home), narrowly avoiding a moose on hwy 20 (my fault), and miraculously coasting into nephi on fumes (my fault again) we decided that we'd spent way too much time in the car during the past three days.

calvin had his 15 month check-up the day after we got back. he's fit as a fiddle and was sadly rewarded with 3 shots. he loves strawberries, jelly beans and m&m's and has learned some new words this month: bubble, duck, cracker, turtle, banana, and grandpa (which sounds a lot like bubble).

we had a relaxing conference weekend in herriman with my dad (my mom is in georgia enjoying the newest grandson, ezra!). i'm definitely excited for the snow to be over and for spring to come back!

busy week

I know that I'm never that great at updating our blog in a timely manner, but my really good excuse this week is that we've had a lot going on. Last weekend, we enjoyed an overnighter at Grams & Gramps' house in Kaysville. Tony & Dorothy also came up with their kids. It almost felt like I was a kid again going to grandma's with cousins. When I mentioned that Russell, Calvin and I were sleeping in the basement, Tony and I reminisced about the days when we were kids and we (and all the other cousins) were sure that Large Marge from Pee Wee's Big Adventure lived down there. I still find myself getting a little anxious when I'm down there alone =)! We found grandma's life size cardboard cutout of John Wayne in one of the basement bedrooms and Russell and Tony had such fun leaving it outside of bedrooms and around corners to scare each other. It was great to get away, spend time with family, and give Calvin a chance to play with cousins, which he LOVED.

Calvin & Richmond playing trucks.
Dorothy won a rousing game of Pit.
Danny, Shelley, Sarah, German & Natalie came up Saturday morning for an easter egg hunt. Calvin got the hang of it much better than last year!
Natalie, Calvin, & Richmond with their spoils…I can’t believe how big these kids are!
Buddies...
Calvin loved following Richmond around.
Also, if you look close on the left, you can see Lauryn's sweet face. She was my little buddy (she actually let me hold her for awhile!).

Sunday was my mom's birthday and we also celebrated for Alex and Logan who will turn one next week.

Grandma had plenty of helpers for the gift opening.
Logan and Alex worked together.

Jamie made the cutest cakes for the twins. Here's Logan doing a great job on his!

I have to add how much I love my amazing mother - a talented, supportive, courageous, and unconditionally-loving woman! My mom is so many things that I want to be. She's my example of service, gratitude, and closeness to the Lord. I'm sure that she's one of the best nursery leaders her ward has ever seen. She puts so much time, energy and love into her lessons, handouts, and treats for the two and three year-olds that she teaches. She is a confidante and friend that rejoices in her children's successes, sorrows in their challenges, and prays for them daily. She is an example of selflessness in marriage. I've always known how much my parents love each other and that they are best friends, which is a priceless gift to a daughter. My mom is a creative, loving, fun grandma. She enjoys her grandkids and they adore her. She is famous for her treat dishes that are always full, grandkid sleepovers, and craft activities with the kiddos. I've been blessed with an incredible mother.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Monday we went to a St. Patrick's Day shindig at Kim & Mike's. Kim made corned beef and cabbage, Mike grilled bratwurst (not exactly Irish, but delicious!), and Calvin got to see Rusty. Rusty is Kim & Mike's great dane puppy. He's the only thing I've known that grows faster than Calvin and they have a love/hate relationship. Calvin loves puppies and he loves to "woof." He loves Rusty as long as he's not on the ground with him (that's where the hate comes in). I'm sure I'd have a hard time too if I was standing next to a dog that was taller than me.

We couldn't resist a "pony ride" picture!

This is an older picture that I love of Kim and Calvin. He loves his aunt Kimmie! Thanks for the yummy meal, Kim (and for all those jelly beans that I ate)!

Okay...Tuesday was our anniversary - four years! Russell made pizza and we went to the temple that night. We've actually been going out to eat way too much this month (all in the name of our anniversary), but our "official celebration" was a few weeks ago - we went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream at Pioneer Theatre and ate at Market Street Grill. The play was fun, the food was incredible, and we thankfully made it home in the snowstorm!

On our anniversary, Russell and I made up this game called "before we were married..." Basically, we compared then and now. Some comments were unappreciated (me to Russell: "before we were married, you weighed less and I weighed more"), but it was fun to look back. Before we got married, Russell and I were both full-time students, he was a janitor at UVSC and I drove to Draper to work at a call center. We don't make that much more money now (sad!), but we both have college degrees, we live above ground, we love eachother more, and we have an energetic little munchkin that brings such joy and keeps us on our toes.

I'm grateful for a husband who loves the Lord, has ambitious goals, enjoys life, adores his son, and selflessly supports me.

Happy Anniversary, Russell!

bowling

this was over a month ago, but i found it when i was transferring pictures from our camera tonight (sorry about my amateur camera-work)...

a new look

Who knew it was so easy to change blog templates (okay, probably most of you)? I've been meaning to do this and update our family & friends list, so that just leaves one more item I've been procrastinating - tag. My friend Shan tagged me a month ago and my sister Jamie sort of tagged me last year sometime. So, 10 things about me:

1. I love dessert. I need it after almost every meal. My first choice would be anything chocolate, preferably with marshmallows mixed in. As a side note, I'm in the market for a fabulous chocolate chip cookie recipe. I made cookies last week and was bitterly disappointed about how flat they came out. I even took preventative measures by softening the margarine at room temperature exactly the way Betty Crocker suggests, but the cookies looked worse than the "these cookies were made with butter/margarine that was too soft" picture in my book. Any suggestions or recipes for the perfect batch? (Confession...it's been hours since I finished dinner and I didn't have dessert and after writing about this, I just got up and got a cookie --- okay it was three.)

2. I've recently rediscovered how much I love reading. I get absorbed in a good book, which is why I didn't read much for fun when I was in school. Since graduating, it's been so nice to not have 10 other things that I need to read and I've really been able to start reading for fun again. I've never read any of Jane Austen and her novels are next on my list. Any other suggestions? My sisters have introduced me to a helpful website: http://www.goodreads.com/. You can rate books and get good ideas for reading from friends.

3. Speaking of my sisters, I love them. Jamie, Lyndy, and Heather are such blessings in my life. They are each unique and courageous in their own way and are incredible mothers. I admire Jamie's patience, organization and creativity, Lyndy's love of learning and joy in motherhood, and Heather's independence and selfless regard for others. I'm inspired by these women and the other good people in my life.

4. I hate needles. It doesn't matter if you call it a shot or an injection or "just a little poke," I'd rather not. This was a major motivation for no epidural and looking back, I'd actually do it again!

5. I love movies. Some recent favorites include Amazing Grace, the six hour version of Pride & Prejudice, and I Am David (one of the best movies I've ever seen).

6. I hate flossing. Russell and I went to the dentist last October for the first time since we've been married. (I know that sounds gross, but I do brush daily). When you're poor college students with no insurance, some things have to go. Anyway, as usual, I started flossing a couple days before I went, but really didn't for years before that and I only had one cavity. (Russell had two, his first two EVER.) So, I decided that I'll be okay if I floss every few days, which is less guilt-provoking than never and much more tolerable than daily.

7. I like watching football on TV. There's something oddly relaxing about it. Perhaps it's the association with lazy Thanksgiving afternoons, but I grew up enjoying this with my dad and still do.

8. I hate mornings. Well, maybe that's unfair. There's nothing wrong with morning time, I just prefer to be asleep for most of it. I would much rather stay up late than get up early. My husband and son seem to agree with me. Russell regularly works graveyards from 6 pm to 6 am and would much rather do that than a morning shift. Calvin usually sleeps until 9:30 or 10 am (I thought I'd never see the day!).

9. I actually love my job. I don't know if I've ever been able to say this before. I work part-time for Utah County as a clinical therapist for a residential substance abuse treatment center. I enjoy my coworkers and the flexibility of the position that allows me to be a full-time mom [and sleep in=)]. I also never thought I'd enjoy working with addicts and alcoholics, but it's been my favorite. I'm amazed at how courageous my clients are and I learn so much from them.

10. I love my boys. There's never a dull moment with just the three of us. Russell is truly my best friend and is such a wonderful father. Calvin brings indescribable joy to our lives. The other morning during breakfast, which as you can guess was later than at most other homes, I just sat back and watched for awhile. Calvin dropped his milk (on purpose), then said, "Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh..." This whole thing repeated eight or nine times, with variations such as "Ooooo oooo." Russell gave Calvin a bite of oatmeal, then turned to his bowl of cereal, exclaiming to it (and I quote): "Corn squares ain't got nothin' on you, raisin bran." He really likes raisin bran. Anyway, I cherish even the chaotic or silly moments and love the time I have with these two peas in a pod.

I'm actually sorry that I put this off because it's been inspiring, even therapeutic, to recognize what makes me me. Thanks for reading and if you haven't done this yet, consider yourself tagged. Here's a picture to reward those who made it all the way through...

ode to my husband

I'm blessed to be married to a unique man.

For example, Russell has been enjoying the book "Presidents and Prophets" and one day decided to do his hair in the style of President Lorenzo Snow (see below for the inspiration).

Another thing that sets Russell apart is his birthday. I don't know another adult who loves his/her birthday as much as Russell. Remember when you were a kid and you looked forward to your birthday and reminded others about it for months, etc (Heather, you know what I'm talking about!)? Then, before you know it, you're forgetting how old you are and you don't mind. Not Russell. It's such an endearing quality and it makes his birthday so fun just because he enjoys it more than most.

Well, the big day was last Sunday, but we began the festivities on Friday (I signed up for Netflix and our first DVD's came). Saturday we went to breakfast with Russell's sister Kim, opened one present (I was sick of keeping the painting in my closet). Russell bought this painting in Brazil before he came home from his mission and I got it framed. For dinner, we got Ruby River Steakhouse take-out and ate while Calvin napped (yes, our celebrations revolve around food).

Sunday after church, Russell opened a new tackle box from Calvin and the game bocce.

My mom had a family dinner for the birthday boy.
Russell requested a Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream cake, so this monstrosity is what I came up with.
In case you're wondering, he's 27 - the candles are a 2 for 20 and a 5 and a 2 (5+2) for 7 (all we had). Again, I'm blessed to be married to a unique man. Russell is considerate, hard-working, spiritual, funny, and an amazing dad. Happy birthday, my love!